Democrats Edge Up
In Soft-Money Race

LOS ANGELES -- Democrats are stitching a new label onto their party this year. Right next to the union tag, there is one for business now, too.

For the first election in recent memory, for example, the party's House campaign committee, at midyear, is outraising its GOP counterpart in the critical chase for large-dollar corporate and labor contributions known as soft money. The largesse is mainly the result of a push for business dollars that is continuing at a high-profile level at the Democratic convention here. One...